Oath to Keep
by IBahumatI
Summary: With the battle against Tartarus raging on, Annabeth and Percy have few options left. With an oath to keep and a life to weep Percy finds himself torn from the rift between Tartarus and the mortal realm to find himself back- but wait... A Mistless world? Demon attacks, Goblin raids, English written differently but spoken the same? How did so much change while he was down below!
1. Prologue

Prologue

When Tartarus arrived I knew we had lost.

Even so, after Bob's speech, I managed to fool myself for a brief second into believing he could win. After all, his Titan brothers had been erased in a flash of dark, yet somehow he'd stood back up to challenge him. The Lord of the West, of Pain and Mortality, of Violent Death. I remember fighting him long ago, during a time that seemed to be so far away. I had been… fourteen? Fifteen? He'd just escaped the place we currently found ourselves in; and despite the fact that he couldn't have weighed more than a few hundred pounds (which sounds like a lot until you remember that's a little under the average for a ten foot tall man), I barely managed to hold my own. Bob had saved our lives countless times during this trek. A thought flashed through my mind. He was strong. Could he… could he really…?

I slowly gazed up at Tartarus' body, careful to avoid his massive ruby irises. I shivered despite myself, squeezing Annabeth's hand; the hope I'd felt quickly smothered in more fear.

That pure malevolence, that sheer power seeping from the Lord of the Abyss made Kronos look like a child throwing a temper tantrum. His massive body would've forced even the massive Gigantes to look up at his vortex of a face and despite the weight a body like that must've had; he moved as fast as the darkness he ruled.

I was sure Bob could eventually defeat a thousand of the monsters surrounding us. But tens of thousands? Hundreds? While keeping his finger held on the button for the Doors of Death? Along with fighting the very being whose body we trespassed on? For over ten minutes?

Regardless of Bob's strength I didn't believe he would last long against Tartarus, never mind actually defeating the God.

He jabbed harmlessly with his massive spear at Tartarus' armor; an impossibly solid boney mail that must've been the result of several monstrous genocides, several layers crafted from the bones of ogres and serpents and a hundred different demons I couldn't recognize. Bob brought his hands across his chest in an ancient clawed gesture that released beams of sunlight. It tore through a group of monsters, leaving behind only charred forms and the echoes of pain; only for Tartarus' to easily absorb it into the darkness of his face. I tried not to fall into despair but it felt hopeless.

Yet the Titan of Pain attacked relentlessly, through gaps in the impenetrable armor to pierce the thick purple skin, sending rays of light that charred unprotected flesh when his opponent least expected it. Bob didn't even give the Lord of all Monsters a single second to rest between attacks. But even like that... Within minutes Tartarus held an exhausted Titan in his hands like a broken plastic doll.

 **Fool** , Tartarus' faceless void seemed to smile as his shallow wounds rapidly closed. His reverse words rattled the ground, **Weakling. All that bravado and you accomplished nothing but a scratch.**

He spread his massive arms wide enough to wrap around my apartment. Bob's silver eyes gleamed as he bellowed and pushed against his grasp with all the strength a Titan could muster; but he only managed to cause the Primordial's grip to harden. Tartarus roared, a sound not unlike that of a nuclear bomb as he brought his arm above his head and threw the Titan with such force that the entire realm seemed to shake. They were hundreds of yards away but I struggled to maintain my balance. When the smoke cleared I saw Bob laying motionless in a smoking crater as Tartarus laughed.

Perhaps I poured a little too much power in this body? He mused, inspecting his rippling purple flesh, It's a bit difficult to be accurate when forcing myself to such a low level of strength.

Smoke oozed from his body, vaporizing nearby monsters and he slowly shrank until he was only twice the size of the Titan. He stomped Bobs face, matching the steady pace of his massive beating heart.

 **There. Now I can see all the details of your agony.**

Tens of thousands of monsters froze, gazing at the defeated Titan. The death of a Titan wasn't something a demon wanted to miss. The number of times an immortal was destroyed so completely was rare; even across all of history the events could only be counted on one hand. Beings of the dark reveled at such a thought, regardless of their loyalty.

Tartarus' black hole of a face rotated as bits and pieces of Bob slowly fell apart and were sucked in.

"Bob!" I cried out. I nearly ran towards him before remembering that all that kept the Doors of Death from leaving us behind was my foot keeping the doors open. "Annabeth hold them open, I have to help him!"

"No." She muttered, shaking her head, her curly blonde hair covered parts of her face. Her eyes were red, from anger, despair or exhaustion I couldn't tell. "Percy there's nothing we can do. Not against him."

I grit my teeth. Of course I knew that. Even this was only a sliver of a fraction of his power. Tartarus was a primordial being that could've brought the entirety of Olympus to its knees if he wanted. He could erase my very being without even twitching his fingers. The only reason our existence continued so far was because he was enjoying the novelty of a physical body, savoring the feeling of the vibrations as he crushed Bobs bones into powder. I knew that… I knew that but still…!

"Annabeth I-" The shaking grew even though Tartarus had stopped stomping our friend. It grew louder and faster, too fast for a heart beat until I realized what it was.

Tartarus the Faceless frowned, gazing across the field of monsters as a golden green scaled Drakon longer and wider than a train tore its way through the thick sea of monsters. An army of Ogres and Earthborn charged, eager to stop it in its tracks but it easily plowed through them.

It stopped atop a hill, its shining claws covered in dark gore, its maw chewing on a dozen Telkhines. Riding it was a small red Giant dressed in bright scales and hard flesh, wielding a bone spear nearly as tall as he was…

 **Damasen?** Tartarus spat, the shockwave of his baritone voice blew a few winged demons back. **I don't suppose you've come here to prove your worth as a warrior? To enter the Mortal realm to serve your mother?**

Damasen didn't say anything as his gaze fell upon Bob's fallen form. He closed his eyes and smirked. "Sadly Father, I don't face you today for that reason. Leave the Titan be and perhaps I'll consider not tearing you apart."

The mass of monsters roared in fury but Tartarus raised a hand. **Arrogant child.** he laughed. **Show me disgraced son of mine. Come, tear me apart!**

Damasen stood still, quietly glancing at us as if saying, Leave now. Then he raised his spear and charged on his Drakon with a roar that drowned out even the field of monsters.

He fought like a demon. They were roughly the same height now, after Tartarus had shrunk down. Even at their small size of twenty feet and change, dark craters I could lay down in pitted the ground. Damasen somehow managed to avoid his lightning fast blows and whenever his vortex swirled at frightening speeds, Damasen would grapple him from behind and force his gaze upon the swathes of monsters. Nothing was left from the hundreds he'd sucked into the void.

Damasen fought viciously, more monstrously than one expected from a trained warrior but I realized what he was doing. He kept the fight close; close enough that all the monsters that were brave enough to try to attack me and Annabeth were quickly destroyed as the collateral damage of their clash. At the same time he kept it far enough away that we weren't killed on accident. It was a delicate balance and I knew he couldn't keep it up forever.

Tartarus roared and flailed but he was completely engrossed by the fight. He'd probably forgotten about us puny mortals as he battled his son. His moves were clumsy, even compared to Damasen's crude and wild fighting style, a consequence of him having never fought in the physical realm. The Maeonian Drakon would wrap around Tartarus whenever he seemed to gain an advantage, trapping him in a hundred foot vise while it sprayed him with viscous acid.

But Damasen couldn't hurt him. Even with the Drakons' help, the superficial wounds he carved across Tartarus' purple body disappeared after a few moments, leaving behind only black ichor. Even the acid covering his body was quickly sucked into his whirlpool of darkness.

It was a battle of attrition where one side had unending stamina and a bottomless pool of health. Damasen… despite what he'd said, he wasn't planning to win. He couldn't even pray for anything like that. Against the Lord of Monsters, a being who was holding back an ocean of power, he could only hope to hold him off temporarily.

As I watched, muscles tense, ready to join the fray at a moments notice; Annabeth turned back to face me, her gray eyes analyzing my face. "Percy. I have an idea."

xxx

She watched the expressions of his face change within a span of a few seconds.

Rage at Bob's brutal loss, confusion that there could be a way out despite everything, hope that after all these weeks they'd finally see the sun, guilt that he hadn't helped Bob and that to leave this place would mean to leave someone behind. And Trust. For her.

Annabeth knew he wouldn't agree. That's who he was. He probably hadn't even processed the idea. She would have to force him to break the promise he had made what seemed like an eternity ago. _Together forever..._

Small Bob leapt towards them, a large gash covered his left flank. He purred, his intelligent eyes watched them as if to say What are you waiting for?

I'm sorry Bob. She thought, Damasen… I won't be able to save you all but… please… help me protect Percy.

Annabeth looked behind her at the fighting and she couldn't help but cry. She was scared, more afraid then she'd ever been. She was scared of dying, of never being able to do any of the things she had wanted. She'd done a lot in her seventeen years of life, but there were still countless uncrossed items on her bucket list. Styx, she wasn't even sure if she'd have the proper right of passage to the afterlife, in this place below Hell. _Would her soul be trapped here forever?_ She wondered, trembling. The thought horrified her.

But above all else? She was horrified of losing Percy again. After everything that happened she wanted to just collapse, to breakdown holding Percy, to end everything with that final comfort. But she couldn't, not now, not when he needed her most.

"Annabeth?" Percy said gently. "Don't worry we'll- we'll figure something out. We always do." He smiled his bright smile and his green eyes twinkled with confidence despite the uncertainty of his voice. "I promised remember? Never again. We'll always be together."

Annabeth hugged him, her entire body shaking. It was the best choice after all. Percy was one of the strongest Demigods ever born, and that included the legendary Heracles. They'd need his strength against the forces of Gaea. The others- Jason, Piper, Leo, Hazel, all of her friends. They'd need a strong leader after this mess.

Besides, she thought, trying and failing to blink away her tears. _Dying to protect everyone didn't seem like the worst way to go._ She shivered. _But… most of all… it was because…_

She loved him.

"Percy…" Annabeth forced a smile. She knew this simple phrase couldn't convey her feelings, but she still had to tell him. "I love you."

His eyebrows furrowed in worry. "Annabeth we'll be fine right? We can.. Uh…" He faltered, eyebrows scrunching as he thought of how to comfort her.

"You're cute when you're like that." She giggled with more joy than she felt. She inhaled and asked more seriously, "Percy you trust me right?" She continued when he nodded immediately, "I promise to keep you safe. So promise me this. Y- We'll protect everyone, right? Swear to me you'll keep everyone safe. When we get back." She paused smiling a little. "Then once we finish beating up Gaea we can go to college and you can finally get that surfing degree you always wanted."

He laughed at that but his eyes were wary. She knew if she let him analyze her own expressions any longer he would figure it out. The intelligence in that Seaweed Brain of his always surprised her. So instead she kissed him. A second passed. Two. She took that time to tear off her camp necklace, a leather cord which had nine beads for her years spent at Camp while Percy closed his eyes.

Annabeth slowly pushed herself away, looking down. "Just a souvenir to remember me for." She whispered, handing her sword and necklace to him. "Don't mess it up."

Then she shoved him through the Doors of Death before he could react, into the only place leading to the Mortal world. He didn't even have the time to yell in surprise before the elevator doors shut in a blur of motion, nearly tearing her hands off in the process. She rushed for the button. Time was precious and she didn't know how long Damasen could keep Tartarus occupied for.

"Small Bob!", she yelled over the stomping of the giants as she held the button, "Can you protect me from any monster that comes here?"

The giant saber tooth stared at her and roared, his striped fur quaking. Then he turned away, ready to face any horde of monsters.

Annabeth nodded. "I'll take that as a yes."

She thought about Percy as she held the button. She thought of dying, of her short life ending so abruptly, so helplessly, but mostly she thought about never seeing _him_ ever again. He'd live and… That's all that mattered, right? He'd hate himself for not seeing through her plan, for not stopping her from forcing him to leave after promising they'd stay together, but he'd go on to save the world despite that.

She cried anyways.

A prophecy that seemed a lifetime away rang through her mind.

 _An oath to keep with a final breath…_

"Twelve minutes Percy." The girl muttered, ignoring the roar of demonic battle behind her, "I can promise you that much."


	2. Chapter 1

**I've had this for a while but I wasn't really happy with it but like whatever right I guess I could fix it later.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

I would've stood there in disbelief forever listening to someone sing about Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain if the doors didn't try to tear themselves open.

It almost seemed like a pleasant surprise, as if Annabeth and Bob and Damasen would somehow walk through to join me, to come to see the sky, to say hello to the stars. Then we'd all meet up with Jason and the others and then we'd go out and celebrate and destroy Gaea and-

Well… That didn't happen. Instead, four translucent shadow tendrils phased through the doors and slowly pushed them apart. The scent of sulfur and ozone entered my cage, and through the gap they made I saw the Darkness between the world of monsters and the mortal realm.

Darkness. It chilled me to the very bone, a deep void that reminded me of Tartarus' swirling vortex of a face. I remembered how it had consumed everything, the ravenous pit of despair and pain that had nearly swallowed Iapetus; that _had_ utterly disintegrated the two Titans Krios and Hyperion. I knew if the doors opened it would flood inside, devouring my body, my soul, everything I ever was and leaving nothing behind. But more than fear… I felt _anger._

I brought Riptide down on the black tendrils. It went right through them.

That told me a few things. Ghosts and spirits were also intangible, purely supernatural beings that normal physical objects couldn't affect. Despite that, Celestial Bronze existed in both magical and physical realms of existence. Riptide had no trouble cutting spirits down. On the other hand Mortal beings were considered unworthy, too insignificant for Celestial Bronze to actually affect; like if you tried trying to crush bacteria under your shoes.

I had a feeling whatever these things were, they weren't the bacteria in this case and the thought of them existing above Anaklusmos' enchanted blade scared me even more.

I shoved Annabeth's necklace into my left pocket and tried to grip the elevator doors but they were too smooth and my hands were too slick with blood. The arms had pulled the doors six inches apart in as many seconds. Nevermind twelve minutes, at this rate I wouldn't last twelve more _seconds._

I held Riptide up and sunk it up to the hilt in the right door. Then I struck the left door three times hard enough to dent it and did my best to push my fingers inside the small craters.

"Please please please don't mess anything up…" I mumbled as I pushed the doors closer together. Thankfully it didn't take much effort; the ghost arms didn't seem much stronger than a normal person. Then the doors shook and another pair of arms appeared. It didn't add much force but after another ten seconds two more tendrils showed up and pushed on either door. Then another pair…

One minute passed and I was already struggling to keep the doors closed. Every ten seconds another pair would join them in pushing. The next minute, they began to steadily push the doors apart. I yelled in outrage. _No_ , _I can't it's-_ I thought of Annabeth and pushed harder. _I'll come back Annabeth, I'll come back and tear Tartarus apart and bring you back!_

I roared, the entire elevator shook as I wrestled the darkness for control. The steel doors groaned and lights flickered, the song about Pina Coladas sounding more and more warped, grating against my ears.

Then I lost. My arms collapsed in exhaustion as the black tendrils grew stronger than ever, and in the blink of an eye the doors were torn open. I felt Riptide cut a gash through the doors and I was dragged out in darkness.

 _Annabeth I…!_

I closed my eyes, prepared for utter annihilation and…

Nothing happened. My heart pounded fast enough that it was less of a beat and more like a single continuous note. After a few seconds I worked up the courage to open my eyes.

It was almost too dark to see. Even my demigod eyes could only barely make out debris; it would take a while for them to adjust. I reached inside my right pocket and was disappointed to feel nothing. Either I'd dropped Riptide somewhere or it had been left behind. Instead I crouched down and rapped my knuckles against the hard floor, the stone cracking beneath my fists. The echoes helped me determine that I was in a room. Genius right? At least it wasn't a cave.

Anyways, from the way the sounds bounced back the room must've been huge. It had a kind of domed roof and- I patted my pants again. This time I felt Riptide's pen form in my pocket. I pulled it out and uncapped it- revealing the three foot long celestial bronze blade. It glowed with an ancient energy and dimly lit the surrounding area.

The light revealed where I was standing in- a square depression in the ground filled with cracks that couldn't have been more than a few inches in depth. At roughly five feet by five feet I probably would've tripped and fallen on my face after a few steps if I had tried to walk in the dark.

The floor was riddled with craters and gashes worn down by the passage of time. It reminded me of- a lot of places actually. It wasn't uncommon for battles to leave that kind of damage, especially when one was fighting giant monsters.

So that means I made it. Had I miscounted? I didn't think I was even a quarter of the way through the twelve minutes but somehow… Then this must be… the House of Hades? The Necro-whatsit that Nico told me about? He was supposed to lead the group here.

 _That must mean they're late. Or had they come early and I was late? Or maybe…_ I shook my head.

They weren't here right now and neither were any monsters. As much as I wanted to see them I needed a break. I sat down and cleared my mind.

She was still down there. Now that I was back in the Mortal world, Damasen should've taken Annabeth and Bob back to his home after stalling for he twelve minutes right? _Annabeth…_ I grit my teeth and blinked the tears away. I knelt and hit the ground like an angry child.

"You damn idiot!" I yelled as I struck the ground again. "How could you let that happen! Annabeth how could you…? After everything- how could you make me abandon you damn it!"

I yelled some more. Incomprehensible things, I didn't understand half of what I was saying but it made me feel better so I didn't stop. I would've been glad no one was there to watch my tantrum if I had anything else but her on my thoughts. I knew I was being a hypocrite considering I had been planning something similar but…

Now she was stuck down in Tartarus and the Doors were gone. I grimaced. I wasn't exactly excited to dive back down there but…

I couldn't save her right now. I'd find a way but there wasn't a clear path to saving private girlfriend right now so I'd have to settle with saving the world like she told me to. She was resourceful anyways, I wouldn't be surprised if she showed up one day to slap me upside the head for thinking she'd lost.

"Alright!" I said, trying and failing to stay upbeat. "Now, where's the exit…?"

xXxXx

I walked around for almost a full hour before I found a way out, almost collapsing twice but otherwise doing well. Eventually I somehow fumbled my way out into the moonlight, into the cold winter air, my tattered clothes hardly helping. It was far brighter than you'd find out in a place like Manhattan. Whether that was because I was out in the country or because…

 _Would it be moonslight_? I mused as I gazed up at the two strangely colored objects floating in the night sky.

Alright. That took the gold medal for weirdest thing I've ever seen period. Never mind gods and monsters and a Hell below Hell _for_ those gods and monsters. That was all hidden beneath the Mist but this?

"Two moons." I mumbled. _Isn't it a little weird that the big ones green and the small one's red isn't it? Did something happen to Artemis?_

It was definitely strange and probably would've worried anyone else but hey; at least they weren't trying to kill me. Yet. Hopefully the Mist would keep Mortals from seeing that. I didn't know how they'd react but even _I_ was pretty rattled; and when someonethat dealt with magic and monsters on a daily basis paused at something I figured the Mortals would be having a bad time.

I shook my head head and forced myself to stop gawking. A hundred yards ahead of me was a river slowly making its way west. Or at least I thought it was west, basing it off the position of the moon, a skill I'd learned at camp; but considering it was a bit different now…?

I gingerly stepped across the snow and hesitantly took a step into the river, my first bath in however long. I instantly felt strength surge through my limbs, exhaustion melting away as I flexed my long nimble fingers while the burst of energy staved off the cold. I stretched, enjoying the feeling of renewed vitality but I knew it wouldn't last.

I followed the flow of the river to where I thought was west. Thanks to my heritage I could swim faster than most people could run, even on this kind of exhausting day. Annabeth said it could have been due to the water drag decreasing and increasing wherever it could help, along with the increase in strength to propel me forward. I didn't really understand it but she eventually dumbed it down to swimming through air and hulk jumping off of a brick wall, though that image just made me laugh and exasperate her.

After an hour of boring travel, I nearly gagged at the smell of smoke and stopped. I popped my head out of the water to see a medieval village (Annabeth mentioned something called hamlets but I forgot if it was about small towns or some ancient play) with a few buildings that had massive burning holes in them, like an angry flaming bulldozer had come to visit. Plumes of smog escaped into the night sky as screams of pain and outrage almost as thick as the smoke filled the air. I saw a dark figure easily seven feet tall through the flames roaring with glee, eyes gleaming in pleasure. Those eyes… that roar… it wasn't a clone but it reminded me of…

I grinned wildly, almost glad this thing was here. I had a few issues to work out and killing a monster was always a good way to blow off steam. I jumped out of the river, feeling the waters caress fade away as the energy and strength I'd gained disappeared. Exhaustion flooded back into my limbs but I still felt better than I had in that temple. My wounds were gone, curses cured and the screams of fear had me charging at full speed towards unknown danger.

The smell of blood invaded my nostrils and I nearly stumbled before taking cover behind a building. I uncapped Riptide, its glowing blade hopefully hidden by the bright flames. I peeked out and nearly threw up. Gore littered the floor, over a dozen, misshapen, men, women and children surrounded a blood red demon. Massive bat wings covered its back but it otherwise looked like a normal pig headed bodybuilder. It faced down at the ground in my direction but seemed… occupied.

In its hand was a small long dead body, too charred to make out many features. The demon chewed on whoever it had been, occasionally tearing off limbs and chunks of flesh with each bite; in its other hand it pinned a naked girl covered in blood who couldn't have much older than me to the ground. She was already...

A boy who couldn't have been more than fifteen stood behind it, exhausting himself by trying to stab it with a pitchfork. Instead of drawing blood, the monsters skin would only bend slightly at the sharp points and then rebound. The demons pig face snorted, muscles rippling; then he flapped his wings, the gust of wind stirring up the flames and knocking the boy over.

"Bastard get off her!" The boy snarled as he stood back up and stabbed at the demon sides until the pitchfork's shaft snapped in two. "I'll kill you!"

I shook and grit my teeth. If I had to guess the only reason it hadn't sensed me yet was because of all the smoke. I flexed my fingers, mentally pitting my current strength against the pig demon. I wasn't sure if I could defeat it and survive in my condition. As much as I hated it I'd have to be smart, wait for an opportunity and-

The monster bellowed as the rest of the pitchfork was embedded into his left eye. He glared with his other eye and drew a massive hand back. The boy dove to the side, the strike barely grazing him, but the force still blew his body back nearly a dozen feet. He groaned as blood dripped from the arm the demon hit, unconscious but alive, if only barely. The scarlet demon snarled, more angry than hurt, and let go of everything they held in their hands. He stumbled over towards him with surprising speed, raising a beefy arm capable of shattering stone.

Well damn. I wasn't much for that "smart" thing anyways.

I stepped out from behind the house and threw my sword as hard as I could. Riptide flew in a straight arc that cut his right wing off and embedded itself nearly a foot deep right below the shoulder blade. He roared in pain and turned towards me. His remaining eye blazed with anger as his wounds sizzled from the touch of Celestial Bronze.

He glowered and took a step towards me, pig nose sniffing intently despite the smoke. It paused for a heartbeat, beady eyes peering at me- or _into_ me, into what I was. He snorted and planted his feet like a sumo wrestler as if to charge. Instead, it squatted and brought its hands down hard enough to leave holes in the ground.

He was still, only emitting a soft mumble- but I knew that wouldn't last.

I started to step backwards, cautiously making my way back towards the river. The water would give me an advantage, even if I still wasn't at full strength. As I was now I'd just get myself killed nevermind saving that kid. After a few steps my eyes widened as the meaning of the demons chant dawned on me. _Sagitta Inflamarea Raedius._ Wasn't that latin for-

 _Emergere!_ He snarled as a white hot torrent of flames flashed from his gaping mouth and slammed into my chest. I flew back, flying past the river into a tree with a sickening _crunch_ , from the cracked wood or my snapped ribs or _both_ I couldn't tell.

 _Ouch._ I thought. _Maybe I should've taken a nap before fighting some devilman._

I plopped painfully to the ground and tried to catch my breath. Rather than inhaling I coughed out a worrying amount of blood as I blinked stars out of my eyes. The demon moved towards me in cautious strides. Until it saw specks of my blood hit the floor. He seemed to like that and flashed a savage grin, pouncing with the speed of a tiger. He was fifteen yards away but his bulging muscles straining beneath the skin would have propelled it right on top of me.

Instead, just before he made it halfway I painfully reached out towards the river. My insides churned in protest but I forced the river to obey. A wave struck the demon hard enough to smash trees into kindling. It was just enough to halt its momentum, but I didn't stop, willing the tide of water to reverse. Pig face was dragged helplessly to the bottom of the river. I felt it struggle against the water but I put Annabeth's scientific theories to good use.

When it flapped it wings and clawed at the water in a desperate attempt to swim back to the surface, I lowered the drag of the water until it was more like grasping at air. When it brought its feet to the muddy riverbed I increased that drag until it was more solid then liquid; its desperate jumps becoming nothing more than little hops, sharp talons not even breaking the surface. When it continued relentlessly I forced water down its throat and through its nostrils.

I wheezed with effort, right now even "softening" the water was hard; challenging force with force took even _more_ energy but I barely managed to hold on until the thrashing stopped. I sighed with relief, bloody puffs escaping my lips. Controlling an entire river wasn't a pleasant experience even outside of my unnatural exhaustion. I noticed that the demons body hadn't disintegrated but I set the thought aside.

"Ugh." I moaned, reluctantly feeling my ribs. Three were cracked or worse, and unfortunately I recognized the pain of a punctured lung. "Can't a guy catch a break?" I whined to whatever god was listening. Sounds of crackling filled the air and I remembered the burning buildings. "Hah, guess not…"

I coughed some more and painfully brought myself into the river with the help of some water tendrils, the touch of water melting the exhaustion away. With the feeling of two liters of pure blue coke along with the unhealthy amounts of caffeine that entailed flowing through my veins, I floated waist up above the water and summoned a spray of water to douse the flames. Within seconds the houses looked good as new, ignoring the charred wood and massive holes.

I pulled my upper body out onto land and felt exhaustion setting in despite the rest of the waters touch. _Oh boy,_ I thought, _this is gonna hurt._

Eventually I forced myself out and somehow prevented my knees buckling against my weight. The lone survivor was still where the Demon left them. I cleaned him up as best as I could and took them into the nearest house that wasn't on fire. Ignoring the flashes in my gut, I called over an orb of water from the river while stitching the gash on his arm.

Thank the gods they were unconscious. The boys arm had a simple fracture but it wouldn't heal quickly. After washing the blood off their bodies, drying them with a flick of the wrist and bandaging them with torn clothing, I lit the fireplace to burn the winter night air away.

I gazed out the window up at moons in thought.

Monsters. They were old even when the first human took their first steps. I knew they were capable of horrible things but I'd never actually seen them do something like this. It scared me to think of what had been going on behind the scenes, all the hurt Mortals I couldn't save.

And with that I collapsed on the hard floor, falling straight into the terrible dreams the gods always sent my way.


End file.
